NEWSWEEK CHAMPIONS CUP

March 15, 1996

Paul Haarhuis

JOE LYNCH: Paul Haarhuis now leads Pete Sampras 3-1 in their career series and goes into the semifinals in his first appearance ever here at the Newsweek Champions Cup. The first question for Paul.

Q. What is the secret, Paul?

PAUL HARRHUIS: I just play well against him. Obviously he didn't play his best game. I think first of all, I hit almost everything to his backhand. Second of all, the few times he had the forehand he didn't really, you know, hit the winners like he likes to, like he can. Then of course, that is basically also part of his game. Plus I felt like I was returning pretty good on his first serve, so he wasn't getting too many easy points. So I made him think like, hey, I have to hit serve well to win some points and second serve I was playing well, so, that was basically the key.

Q. How deep was it into the match when you sensed that maybe he wasn't at his best?

PAUL HARRHUIS: Well, I felt it already in the first set. He was missing some forehands, which he usually doesn't, you know, I was obviously trying to play my game and trying to stay on the baseline, try to be aggressive from the baseline; serve well, so I could come in afterwards on the second shot. But, yeah, you know, it was for me the couple of times that he hit a forehand, he wasn't just hitting, you know, winners right off the bat. He really had to work for it. I have seen him play some matches where he just cracks the winners from left and right.

Q. How much did your confidence grow each time you saved breakpoints against him?

PAUL HARRHUIS: I didn't save that many breakpoints. I only had one game where I had Love-40 and that is -- I saved that game, but other than that, he didn't have one single other game where he had breakpoints, so had it only one game and that, of course, helps mentally. If I, every other game, have to struggle and save breakpoints and again and again, then it is obviously that, you know, he is a better player on the court, but I didn't feel like that today, and I felt actually going in the third set that he still had not made a single break. I had made one. So why worry if I could play my service games right.

Q. Paul, you had a reasonable start semis in Jakarta. Since then, it has been quite a struggle for you. What has turned it around for you this week?

PAUL HARRHUIS: A little bit of luck and a little bit of, you know, of course, the courts really suit my game really well. You know, just the hard court outside, it is not the fastest had court. Last couple of weeks indoors was pretty fast. So, you know, I didn't come out here with a lot of confidence, but then I struggled through my first match with Nargiso, won that 7-5 in the third set. That is what I basically needed. I kept saying couple of weeks ago I just need to win a match where, I don't play well, but I need to survive it, where I got a chance to grow in the second match and get some confidence that, is what I did against Enqvist.

JOE LYNCH: Plus you are 30 years old now.

PAUL HARRHUIS: Yeah, I guess. I guess I am older and it takes a couple of more months to get warmed up, I guess, I don't know.

Q. Is this still a big win for you or are you getting used to it?

PAUL HARRHUIS: Yes, of course, every time you can beat Pete Sampras on his favorite surface, it is always a good win. He has played well here, so it is not like he doesn't like the courts, or the event or whatever the climate. He does well here, every year, so it is always great to beat him like that.

JOE LYNCH: The win also prevented Sampras from potentially taking back No. 1. It is now a race between Muster and Agassi.

PAUL HARRHUIS: Yeah. That is a shame, but -- (audience laughter) no, I mean, I rather see Pete at No. 1 than Thomas, so -- that is -- that is just personally.

Q. Why is that Paul?

PAUL HARRHUIS: Because I don't think Thomas deserves the No. 1 ranking based on what he has shown in the past couple of months. He has been No. 1 now only because the change of the calendar where nobody has been able to defend points and because like Pete has been dropping points in weeks where he couldn't defend it. And that was the only reason Thomas was No. 1 now twice now. I don't think that is -- and every time he was No. 1 he lost first round, so it is not like he is proving that he should be there. So that is I think -- I mean, somebody mentioned it to me after the match and that is too bad, but, of course, I am happy with my win, but...

Q. Why did you decide to play this tournament for the first time?

PAUL HARRHUIS: I was designated. You know the designation from the ATP you have to designate 12 tournaments?

Q. Yes.

PAUL HARRHUIS: Yeah, I was designated. I was going to pull out last week, so I am happy I didn't. I was deciding whether to go or not to go and actually I contacted ATP if I could change, you know, a week of designation to drop out of this one and make up another tournament for the designation, but they were talking about it and after a while I just said okay, I am just going to go.

Q. What changed your mind?

PAUL HARRHUIS: I heard it is nice weather out here. I was getting tired of the rain and the cold.

Q. Why didn't you want to come before?

PAUL HARRHUIS: Because it is always the week after Rotterdam and I always play in Rotterdam, so it is always tough and I have been doing over the years very well in Rotterdam. Last four, five years I have made at least Saturday, if not most of the years I made Sunday, and then it is tough since you don't have a "bye" in the first round if you arrive Monday late, because Monday morning is the first time you fly; you arrive Monday late night here and Tuesday you have to play, so the preparation is not good so, I never entered. This time I entered and I lost very early in Rotterdam; then I decided, hey, I might as well go because I can get there a couple of days before the tournament and get some preparation, and it is good preparation for Key Biscayne so that is actually why I decided to go this year.

Q. What do you think about tomorrow with Goran?

PAUL HARRHUIS: Yeah, it will be tough. He is on a roll. He hasn't lost too many matches this year and you know, what can I say. I have beaten him more than he has beaten me, but still, it will be a good test and obviously he has got the confidence, so, you know, but I got nothing to lose and I know I have beaten him before, so I know I can do it again.

Q. Does playing Pete, is that kind of a good preparation for a guy like Goran, or --

PAUL HAARHUIS: It is, yeah, but it is a totally different game. You know, if Goran serves so big, what can you do? I mean, you don't really get into a rhythm and -- it is tough to play against him then because you are just struggling to hold your serve and just every time you have to make up and five seconds later, you are serving again because he fired four aces then like, okay, concentrate, okay, point for point and bang, bang, bang, bang, and okay, it is your turn again and it is like - I don't know, that is tough mentally to play against a guy like that.

Q. To save a lazy guy from looking it up, who did you lose to in Rotterdam?

PAUL HARRHUIS: I lost to Krajicek. 3 and 6.

Q. Could you talk for a minute about your win in 89 over McEnroe at the Open; do people still bring it up?

PAUL HARRHUIS: Obviously. (audience laughter).

Q. Do people define your career in a lot of ways like that, and does this win in any way compare to that?

PAUL HARRHUIS: No, this doesn't -- well, to me, then I just started, I mean, right after I graduated and for me it was totally different. I was new on the Tour. I never beaten a top player. I never played -- I played one Grand Slam before, first time on Center Court, so it was totally different at that time for me and that was my stepping stone knowing that if I can beat a top player like that, like John McEnroe, at that time it was, and I can do it again and that gave me a lot of confidence for the years then when I played another top player I knew I could beat him. Yeah, people still, you know, after the match they -- like Bud Collins introduced me right there at the Open, so it is still matches people remember against McEnroe against Connors.

JOE LYNCH: Nobody things that you are from Mars anymore?

PAUL HARRHUIS: No.

Q. Paul, you were to No. 21 at one point; then you dropped. Has it been just bad results? Were you injured?

PAUL HARRHUIS: Obviously not great results. Problem was I, in three weeks time, I had about 600 points to defend in Memphis, Philly, and Rotterdam which I did last year. This year, I won only a couple of rounds, and then you lose 600 points, like you go from 20 to 65 and that is the way it goes. I mean, actually every year, over the past six years, my best results always came in Rotterdam and every year I kept defending my points, so, but this year it wasn't so, which actually it was also a good reason that I went here. I was like finally behind that I lost those points. It was all right and just get the indoor season behind me and start fresh on the outdoor season, so.... But you know, a couple of results like this, will get me back to the top 30, 20.

Q. Paul, did you see any tape of the Florida State Virginia last minute of that game and if so, can you compare the call in that game to some of the calls you have gotten?

PAUL HARRHUIS: No, actually, I didn't see that game. I was somewhere away, but I wasn't so happy that they lost though. And I don't know -- I don't know the call or anything like that, but --

Q. Talk to you later about it.

PAUL HARRHUIS: Yeah.

Q. Do you feel you play better against the top guys than against the others?

PAUL HARRHUIS: Most times it is -- first of all, you are a little bit more relaxed because you are the underdog; nothing to lose, no pressure. Second of all, you know, it is more of a thrill to play those guys, so, for some reason, it just gets you a little bit more focused, and maybe against guys that you know you can beat or you should be beating, you are a little bit less concentrating, and maybe a little bit more loose, and, yeah. So I am sure --

Q. There are tournaments you most likely play just singles and some you play singles and doubles.

PAUL HARRHUIS: No. No, I play singles and doubles all the time.

Q. I was going to ask you does that help you in any way?

PAUL HAARHUIS: Yes, it has helped me over the years, but first of all, I think tennis is singles and doubles. It is not singles or doubles. I mean, I think it is a shame that some of the players don't play singles or some of the players just don't play doubles, but that is beside the point. No, it has definitely helped me. I was doing well in singles and I was lucky enough to get my doubles ranking coming along at the same time, so I could play the same tournaments all the time. And yeah, it has helped my overall game. The doubles helped my serve and volley game, just my overall game; approaching the net better and you get more confidence, whereas a singles player, I am a baseliner, but, you know, I don't mind playing serve and volley every now and then. I try it, and you just it just adds to your game if you have that part of it. So it definitely has helped me over the years.

JOE LYNCH: Okay. Thanks very much.

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